Siamese with Pica - help~~~~~

lyndsmar

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Hello All Y'all.

I am new to this site and am hoping Y'all can help me.  I have a cat (looks like a tuxedo Norwegian Forest cat) who is indoor and outdoor and he is about 1 1/2.  He get a mostly natural diet with a little bit of dry kibbles each day.  I prefer to keep him on some wet to supplement his natural diet from outside.  He rarely uses the litter box inside (emergencies only) and he hunts outside, climbs trees, plays and wins my neighbors' hearts.  

My BF has a Siamese with pica.  He is about eight (8) years old.  My relationship is new and I have been trying to combat the pica urges since March.  I have beautiful fabrics, which have to put away when the cat is with me.  I have gradually nurtured my heart in this process to accept the issue.  My focus is to make certain the cat knows he is loved and cared for and he does trust me.  When I am sleeping, the cat eats my sheets and pillow cases.  My BF hasn't been forthcoming with emotional support.  I have researched a natural diet for the cat, made suggestions, etc.  BF says he has tried everything.  I have communicated to him that I need his support and we end up in a disagreement.  

I suggested we have the cat sleep in a safe space and BF 'hears' that I want to alienate the cat.....like I am Cruella or something.  This is odd because he knows I was the Director for Bloodhound Rescue in my state and he knows that I want to start a rescue farm for neglected and / or special needs animals.  I feel that he expects me to accept that my things will be destroyed and I do not know what to do.

For you experts out there, please chime in.  For those of you who have successfully blazed this trail, please help me with a solution that will minimize destruction and keep the cat healthy and happy.  

Thank you so much for your help!!
 

missmimz

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What is this other cat eating for food? What do you mean he "eats" the sheets? Like literally rips them apart and eats them or just chews on them? Do you have toys and things for him to play with? 
 

raina21

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M missmimz

Pica is a condition where cats (and humans) compulsively eat things that are not edible.so yes, she quite literally means the cat is eating her sheets.

L lyndsmar

I agree with you that the cat should be kept in a safe room (not a cage, mind you, but a room with nothing that he can eat) when he cannot be supervised. It sounds harsh but it is for his own safety. Pica is a hard condition to deal with because anything and everything is "food" to those who have it. And if it is left unchecked the cat can easily develop an intestinal blockage that could kill him. I am a bit concerned that your boyfriend just allows him to eat things? He knows that if he doesn't stop his cat eating things inappropriately, that his cat could die right?
 

missmimz

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@missmimz

Pica is a condition where cats (and humans) compulsively eat things that are not edible.so yes, she quite literally means the cat is eating her sheets.

@lyndsmar

I agree with you that the cat should be kept in a safe room (not a cage, mind you, but a room with nothing that he can eat) when he cannot be supervised. It sounds harsh but it is for his own safety. Pica is a hard condition to deal with because anything and everything is "food" to those who have it. And if it is left unchecked the cat can easily develop an intestinal blockage that could kill him. I am a bit concerned that your boyfriend just allows him to eat things? He knows that if he doesn't stop his cat eating things inappropriately, that his cat could die right?
I know what pica is, but some cats will simply chew things rather than actually attempt to eat it like food. 
 
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lyndsmar

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Thank you, Both.

His main fabric that he goes for is a very nice cotton.  I have a lot of cashmere and my BF does not know if the cat will go for those items.  BF doesn't allow the cat to just eat things.  He is diligent and keeps all of his interior doors closed at his home so the cat does not have access to bed coverings, towels or clothing items at his house unless something is inadvertently left out.

My home is more open.  I do have an area where I can have the cat sleep at night when I am sleeping and he won't be in a cage.  But, the BF hasn't been supportive of me emotionally when this occurs and it happens weekly.  I don't know what to do except to tell him the cat can't be here anymore unless we agree to a safe space for him.  He feels guilty and it is his conscience weighing on him.  I feel like he is expecting me to accept it.  I do accept the cat as he is and I like the items and clothing I buy with my hard-earned dollars.  I want to take steps to minimize the destruction and I just don't know how to ease this for my BF, keep the cat safe and not have my things destroyed.  BF is resisting my suggestions and it almost feels that the cat comes first.  
 

catdaddy007

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I just posted this in another thread. My cat is also Siamese (Lynx Point), just under 2 years old. She had started licking the floor tiles and other stone items.

"I just went through the exact same thing with a two-year old female. Came home one night and she was barely able to walk, not eating, lethargic. Took her to ER and her PCV was at 7; normal values are around 36. She was rushed to intensive care and had two blood transfusions to save her; about $6,000 in tests did not show why she was suddenly critically anemic- cancer, marrow infection, toxic exposure like insecticide or onions, who knows. We were going to do a bone marrow biopsy but she likely would not have survived it, so we started her on 0.5mg Dexamethasone twice a day in case it was autoimmune. It's been only six weeks, and on Wednesday her PCV is now 28! She has started playing and purring again and is becoming her old self- engaged, affectionate etc. 

Before she 'crashed' in October, she had started licking the tile floor in the kitchen, which I thought was just a weird habit or maybe she smelled something. It turns out that anemic cats often have Pica, meaning they want to eat strange objects like cement as they sense a deficiency in themselves. Here is a great resource:

http://felinecrf.org/anaemia.htm

Besides the meds from the vet, I did a few things to try and help her. Living in Vancouver BC, we have some of the softest water in the world- almost no minerals, so I give her bottled mineral water. I feed her Natures Variety, which has Montmorillonite clay- might sound very strange but apparently animals in nature when sick will often find a clay bank to lick- extra minerals.

http://www.clayremedies.com/Info_About_Edible_Clays.html

I also give her a bit of extra vitamin b12, b6, and folic acid in her food- these are building block of red blood cell production. I use Webber Naturals that come in gel capsules so there are no fillers or other ingredients; I simply open the gel cap and put a pinch in her food- about 20th of what a human would get in a full capsule. These are water-soluble vitamins, so there is no concern with toxicity.

The thing about your cat having a mass in the tummy and being anemic is interesting- my cat stared eating her litter, which of course is made of clay. Clumping bentonite clay litter will form a mass in a cat's stomach or intestines and can kill them. Wondering if that is what your cat has in its stomach? Many certs do not know about anemic cats eating or licking clay or cement. I now have my cats on either corn litter or a new product I found made from grass, called Fresh 4 Life- it's great litter, no dust, clumps well.

Some of this might sound strange to some people, but I feel there are reasonable and scientific claims to be made, and whether or not what I have been doing has made a difference, she is getting much better and that's all that matters."

Also, a really good link here:

http://messybeast.com/pica.htm
 
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